Description

Mrs. Laetitia Rodd, aged fifty-two, is the widow of an archdeacon who makes her living as a highly discreet private investigator. Her brother, Frederick Tyson, is a criminal barrister living in nearby Highgate with his wife and ten children. Frederick finds the cases, and Laetitia solves them using her arch intelligence and her immaculate cover as an unsuspecting widow. When a case arises involving the son of the highly connected Sir James Calderstone, Laetitia sets off for Lincolnshire undercover as the family's new governess--quickly making herself indispensable. But the seemingly simple case-looking into young Charles Calderstone's "inappropriate" love interest-soon takes an unpleasant turn. And as the family's secrets begin to unfold, Laetitia discovers the Calderstones have more to hide than most.

Reviews

"Saunders' protagonist sheds a sympathetic light on the plight of women in the rigid moral climate of Victorian England. Readers who relish the puzzle of a well-done Victorian-set mystery with a resourceful female detective will take pleasure in this series launch by a prolific British author and journalist." -
Library Journal, Starred Review

"Saunders launches a well-written series with all the hallmarks of a classic British cozy." -
Kirkus Reviews

"[A] lively series debut." -
Publishers Weekly

"Saunders' prose is precise and a pleasure to read. The plot twists and turns, and Laetitia is a warm and engaging heroine. The story owes a debt to DAVID COPPERFIELD and has the Dickensian quality of smuggling serious themes within its plot - about the fates of women and the weight of their virtue." -
The Times (London)

"Bentinck's assured pacing and inflection animate the characters...Saunders presents a wealth of interesting secondary characters—male and female, upper
and lower class, old and young—and Bentinck uses her skilled voice to create an engaging cast. Whether whispering confidences, expressing the indignation of an enraged young woman, portraying the smooth talking villain, or giving the soothing advice of a Scottish doctor, Bentinck is more than up to the challenge." -
Booklist, Starred Review

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